Vantage Data Recovery

You have made the decision.  Your data is important and you need it back.  You are going to use a professional data recovery company.  So what can you do to help assure a successful recovery?

Choose wisely…

Don’t pick a company just because it’s the closest, the cheapest or has the coolest name.  While cost is often a driving factor, capabilities and experience should be your first concern.  Do your homework (start here), weigh all of the variables, and choose the company which is best for you and your situation.

Listen carefully…

Once you have chosen your data recovery company, be sure you understand the price and time frame they are quoting you.  If you have set yourself a limit of $600.00, and your chosen company is quoting a minimum of $800.00, then you have to either rethink your budget, or choose someone else.  If a price range is given, you want to be sure you are comfortable with the whole range, not just the lowest possible price.  Listen to what they have to say about the time it will take for evaluation and/or recovery, and be sure it meets your needs.  If you have questions or concerns, the time to discuss them is before you send in your data.

The truth, the whole truth…    

You should be completely honest with your data recovery company, just as you would be with your physician.  You have in essence taken your data to the emergency room, and you want it resuscitated.  In order to save it, they need to know why it is there, and its “medical history”. 

When you call a data recovery company for help, they are going to want you to answer some questions so they can fairly and accurately evaluate the potential for recovery and estimate the cost.  They are going to want to know the size of the drive, the operating system, the type of data, etc.  Then they are going to want to know what happened (is there a known cause for the problem) and what, if anything, has already been done to try to recover the data.  These are important questions, and need to be answered as honestly and accurately as possible.  Based on what you may have said, there could be certain expectations of what might be found when your media gets to the lab.  Those expectations can be used by the data recovery technicians and engineers as a sort of check on the recovery process, especially in cases where the data itself is corrupted.  Is what is being seen in line with what was expected?  If not, why?

If your cousin’s best friend’s brother who knows something about computers has tried to fix your drive, or if your kids knocked your external drive off the desk, they need to know.  If you don’t know, they need to know.  Being in a data loss situation is stressful, and things happen. You are not going to be judged, ridiculed or berated.  If you talk to a company where you are, hang up and call someone else! 

Very often people give inaccurate or incomplete answers.  Whether they are embarrassed, afraid their answer will increase the price, or just feel that certain details are not important, many people do not tell the whole truth.  The result is often a delay in the recovery process.  Knowing up front what has happened, both before and after the failure helps your data recovery company to help you in the most cost-effective and timely manner. 

Patience is a virtue…

It’s tough.  You are anxious for your data to be recovered.  You needed it back yesterday.  Perhaps your boss is breathing down your neck.  But data recovery requires concentration and focus.  If the data recovery technician or engineer working on your project gets interrupted every half hour for an update, the process gets slowed down.  Try to give them the time necessary to give you a full and fair assessment of your data’s recoverability.   You should have been quoted an evaluation time before you sent your data, and an estimated recovery time when the recovery price quote was given.  If time is critical, discuss that with the rep before you send in your media, and include that information on the paperwork when you send it in.  And remember, the clock starts after the data recovery company receives your drive, not when you send it!

Speaking of paperwork…

Paperwork is necessary.  Send some.  Many companies have forms on their website that you can fill out and send with the media or submit on-line.  Either way, be sure to enclose at least basic contact information so the drive can be identified.  Include a valid email address and a phone number where you can actually be contacted.  Before you send your data, ask how (and when) you should expect to be contacted, and what, if any additional paperwork will be needed.  Responding to requests for additional information or approvals in a timely manner will keep your project moving forward. 

Professional data recovery companies have a vested interest in successfully recovering your data, and returning it to you as quickly as they can.  It’s their business to help you solve a problem.  Help them to help you, and you will increase your chances of a positive outcome.

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